San Diego, California, U.S.A.-based Triton Algae Innovations is aiming to introduce a plant-based tuna alternative enhanced with protein from a proprietary red algae formulation it has developed.
Its Vegan Alternative Protein is produced from a scalable fermentation technique originally developed at the University of California, San Diego. The company, founded in 2013, is aiming to introduce commercial-scale production of the product in 2021. Its primary market will be business-to-business, but it also plans on marketing a retail tuna-like product in retail and foodservice, and it has made a deal with a co-packer in the U.S. to begin commercial-scale production, according to FoodNavigator-USA.
Triton claims to be the first company to develop a scalable fermentation strategy for producing meat-like compounds from a non-GMO organism. By using ultraviolet light, Triton has managed to convert green algae (Chlamydomonas reinhardtii) into red, producing heme in the process, giving the end-product a meat-like texture.
Triton Co-Founder and Vice President of Research and Development Miller Tran said the company is currently focused on the plant-based seafood market, given the product’s red hue and high protein, calcium, potassium, omega-3s, and carotenoid content.
“We really like what companies such as Good Catch have done, but we felt we could improve it from a flavor, texture, and appearance standpoint, so it looks more like what you’d expect from a tuna product,” he told FoodNavigator-USA.
Miller said the algae being used by the company compares favorably to competing products, such as spirulina and chlorella, which is used by Corbion.
“It has a superior taste and a great nutritional profile, but a big difference is that the cell wall is glycoprotein, so the algae is fully digestible, whereas with chlorella, the cell wall is made from a different material [chitin], which is not digestible, and it’s harder to customize via breeder,” Tran said.
Triton said its production process is environmentally sustainable, using stainless steel fermenters in a closed, controlled process, and that its algae require no pesticides or crop protection chemicals to grow.
“Triton's algae are efficient at utilizing the nutrients provided for its growth, thereby dramatically reducing the waste streams associated with traditional production of agricultural crops,” the company claims on its website.
Photo courtesy of Triton Algae Innovations
